Segontium Roman Fort, Caernarfon (North Wales)

Remains of an auxiliary Roman fort, probably established in the late 70s A.D.

Summary 13th century buildings (or older) Information provided

Introduction

Remains of an auxiliary Roman fort, probably established in the late 70s A.D. and modified through to the late fourth century.

Adjacent to the Roman fort is Segontium Roman Museum, which is run by an independent trust, Segontium Cyf.  

History to the present day

Segontium is a Roman fort situated on the outskirts of Caernarfon, North Wales. Segontium’s location had a hand in the naming of the surrounding town as "caer" means fort. The name Caernarfon is a corruption of "Caer yn ar-Fon" meaning "Fort in (the land) opposite Mon".

The fort itself is thought to take its name from the nearby River Seiont, and may be related to the Segontiaci, a British tribe mentioned by Julius Caesar. The fort was constructed by Agricola in 77 or 78 AD after he had conquered the Ordovices and the original timber defences were rebuilt in stone in the first half of the second century AD.

As the main Roman fort in the North of Roman Wales, it was designed to hold as many as a thousand auxiliary infantry and it was also connected by a Roman road to the legionary base at Chester, Deva Victrix.

Arrival information and how to find us

Address: Segontium Roman Fort, North Wales, , United Kingdom

Opening times:

 

Roman remains and grounds: 10.00 - 16.00 Tuesday - Sunday. Closed Mondays except Bank Holidays.

Museum: Closed

 

 

Photographs courtesy of CADW photographic library.